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Author Steve Berry certainly has all the right stuff for a great novel--a fascinating historical figure (Napoleon), a contemporary dilemma (manipulation of the financial markets), and a wide cast of characters, from fledgling Department of Justice agents to rogue French and British aristocrats to terrorists, and everything in between. The problem is that there are so many plates spinning at once that it is not until the middle of the novel that things really congeal, and the direction this thriller is taking becomes apparent. THE PARIS VENDETTA opens in Egypt, where Napoleon is at the Great Pyramid, about to learn a shocking secret. The action quickly switches to Copenhagen and a shoot-out at a bookstore. Eventually the historical and contemporary will be intertwined in a way that makes sense, but for the first several chapters, readers will find themselves jumping around, trying to make sense of it all. There's action immediately, both in the bookstore and at a Danish estate, but at that point readers aren't really invested in choosing up sides. As the story develops, readers come to learn about the plight of the Danish billionaire who inhabits the estate, as well as his friend, Cotton Malone, a former Department of Justice agent, who is seeking to help the grief-stricken Dane, Henrik Thorvaldsen. Thorvaldsen soon learns that the man who ordered the killing of his son was a British aristocrat, Lord Ashby. He will stop at nothing to seek his revenge by taking the life of the man who was responsible for the death of his son. Tracking Ashby turns out to lead to the Paris Club, a group of greedy financiers who are led by a French woman whose family had a personal vendetta with Napoleon. And here, as it becomes apparent, the pieces begin to come together. The hunt for Napoleonic treasure melds with the manipulation of the world economy and a terrorist plot to strike fear into the hearts of the "ordinary people," while the financiers count their cash. By mid-novel, readers will really come to enjoy this story, and if they can manage to slog through the earlier chapters, will be amply rewarded with a race to the finish that proves satisfying. As noted, Berry has all the elements to create a gripping storyline, but investing the time to get to the heart of the matter may try the patience of some readers. For those who can stick it out, the novel will prove worthy of the time invested. However, I suspect there will (unfortunately) be many who drop out before then.
Reviewed by Christine Zibas, January 2009
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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